


Tangled

by Evil_Little_Dog



Series: Scraps [4]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Friendship/Love, Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-02
Updated: 2012-07-02
Packaged: 2017-11-09 00:13:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/449095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evil_Little_Dog/pseuds/Evil_Little_Dog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary:  There are still a lot of tangles to get through. <br/>Disclaimer:  Sandbox. See me? See me playing in the sandbox? I knew you would.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tangled

The sound, not to mention Ed’s grimacing, was getting on Winry’s nerves. How he expected to get through that long hair – and how it managed to get that tangled – was not something Winry wanted to consider. Striding across the room, she held out her hand, palm up. “Give me that.”

“Hnng?” He ducked almost reflexively. Good. Keeping Edward Elric on his toes had to be an excellent idea. Looking at the object in his hand then back up at her, Ed reluctantly passed over the boar-bristle brush.

“Comb, too, Ed.” She made a beckoning motion with her fingers when he hesitated. “You’re making a mess and I don’t want to have to sweep mats of hair off the floor.”

Ed growled. “It’s not matted!”

Rather than answering with words, Winry plucked a knotted wad out of the bristles, holding it in front of Ed’s nose. “Hmm? Or do you want me to get the tin snips and chop it all off?”

Gnashing his teeth, Ed snatched up the comb, though he didn’t slam it into her hand like he might’ve when they were kids. “There.” That didn’t stop the pout, though, which, Winry realized she’d reacted to by rolling her eyes.

We really are a pair of brats. Moving around him, Winry decided voicing that particular comment could wait. Instead, she smoothed her hand over Ed’s hair, wincing when she caught a nail in a tangle. “I’m surprised you don’t have strands caught in your automail.” Ed grunted and Winry peered over his shoulder. “You do, don’t you?”

“Not much!” As soon as the words left his mouth, Ed hunched his shoulders, obviously expecting a lecture or her to bash the brush against his skull.

Winry sniffed. “I’ll get to your automail later.” With that lingering like a threat in the air, she straightened, combing through Ed’s hair with her fingers. She wanted to know where the worst tangles were before she did anything with the comb.

A part of her reveled in this – Ed letting her play with his hair, like she’d done when they were just kids. He’d needed help with a lot of stuff after he lost his arm and leg and, while there were some memories Winry would just as soon forget (in her mind, she heard herself ask, “Why is it getting stiff?” and Ed, scarlet red, snarling back, “Because I have to pee!”), taking care of his hair had been…nice. Ed had seemed to like it, too, even if he fussed. Winry remembered she could almost lull him to sleep by brushing his hair, something she’d taken advantage of when he’d worked himself up into a fine frenzy. Of course, once he’d started healing, Ed had wanted to do everything by himself, which meant he relied less on her. Winry couldn’t really remember the last time she’d been given the chance to brush his hair.

Ed grumbled, shifting his weight in the chair. Winry thumped his skull with her middle finger, making him yelp and whine. “Stay still.”

“Ng.” Slouching, his whole body took the personification of a pout.

“It’s a wonder Ling didn’t get sick of you and throw you out of Xing.”

Ed hissed and stiffened abruptly, his spine going rigid. It was obvious he tried to force himself to relax but the tension showed in his shoulders and the way he held his head. If she had been a little younger, Winry knew she would have asked – no, demanded – to know why.

Instead, she gathered up a strand of hair and the comb, using the pointy end to pick the knot loose. If only it was that easy, Winry thought, to loosen the knots Ed tied up in himself.


End file.
